Consumer Safety Inspector

• YOU WILL/MAY:
• Ensure that regulated establishments produce a safe product by executing appropriate inspection methods determining non-compliance with regulatory requirements documenting noncompliance and initiating enforcement action where warranted.
• Verify that meat and poultry slaughter and/or processing establishments Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOP) and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Plans meet regulatory requirements.
• Verify execution of Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOP) and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Plans effectively to prevent unsanitary conditions and adulteration of product.
• Review records observe plant operations and conduct hands-on verification to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and prepare detailed documentation (Non-Compliance Records) of non-compliance with regulatory requirements.
• Determine when regulatory control action is necessary. You will assess whether the plants corrective or preventative actions are acceptable and effective if there are trends in non-compliance or if enforcement action is warranted.
• Conduct regulatory oversight activities inside plants in matters relating to other consumer protections (e.g. economic adulteration and misbranding).
• Have contact with plant managers owners and others to explain legal and regulatory requirements discuss operation of the plants SSOP HACCP plan and other food safety programs.
• Communicate and defend determinations on non-compliance issues and discuss plans for addressing non-compliance.
• Work with a variety of individuals to resolve problems clarify differences of interpretation concerning HACCP and other food safety or consumer protection requirements.
• Advise other Agency inspectors supervisors and officers on inspection and enforcement matters for which you are involved.
• Conduct various samplings surveys and tests to obtain pertinent data on potential problem areas industry trends or other issues of current interest to the Agency.
• Be involved in performing health and safety verification sampling and tests for detection of specific microbes (e.g. salmonella listeria etc.) residues or contaminants.
• Assure that products approved for import are in full compliance with all applicable Federal regulations governing the importation of meat and poultry products.
• Authorize entry of all meat or poultry products considered to comply with Federal regulations or refuse entry of any products which violate any of the requirements for admission into this country.
• Coordinate with other Federal agencies (e.g. the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service or U.S. Customs and Border Protection) on such matters as animal health restrictions and refused entry lots.

Conditions of employment

• Training as a condition of employment (TCOE) is required. You must begin the training within 90 days of the effective date of your selection and you must successfully complete it within 12 months of the effective date of your selection.
• You must be a US Citizen or US National.
• Males born after 12/31/1959 must be Selective Service registered or exempt.
• Subject to satisfactory adjudication of background investigation and/or fingerprint check.
• Successful completion of one-year probationary period unless previously served. Refer to the Next Steps section for more information.
• Successful completion of a pre-employment medical examination.
• Must be at least 18 years of age.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more about E-Verify including your rights and responsibilities visit Deposit: Per Public Law 104-134 all Federal employees are required to have federal payments made by direct deposit to their financial institution.
• If you are selected you may need to complete a Declaration for Federal Employment (OF-306) prior to being appointed to determine suitability for Federal employment and to authorize a background investigation.
• False statements or responses on a resume or application can jeopardize employment and may be grounds for disciplinary action including removal from Federal service.
• Should be able to read speak write and effectively communicate in the English language.

Qualifications

Applicants must meet all qualifications and eligibility requirements by the closing date of the announcement including specialized experience and/or education as defined below.

Specialized experience:

Specialized experience is experience that provided you with knowledge of the properties and characteristics of regulated food commodities or other products for human consumption. Such experience may have been acquired in work such as consumer safety inspector or inspection aide food inspector public health inspector quality inspection specialist or similar position with responsibility for sampling quality control and sanitation in a food manufacturing or production environment or similar environment for other ingestible items.

See specific grade level specialized experience definitions below.

For the GS-05 Level: Applicants must have at least 52 weeks of qualifying experience that provided knowledge of the properties and characteristics of regulated food commodities and substances; such as: meat poultry fish eggs or other food or beverages for human consumption or other ingestible substances such as pharmaceuticals. You are to show in your resume examples such as applying proper techniques for collecting samples and/or performing field tests and examinations (e.g. identifying abnormalities in the product or production environment and recommending corrective actions) developing written reports and/or reporting findings of results orally (e.g. documenting abnormalities in the product or production environment and communicating those findings to others) and/or skill in maintaining effective personal contacts with a variety of individuals (e.g. discussing findings with internal or external contacts regarding the food safety standards established in the production environment) or other similar work making determinations on products for human consumption or the production environment (e.g. ensuring conformance with established standards). Such experience may have been acquired working positions such as consumer safety inspector or inspection aid food inspector public health inspector quality inspection specialist or other related position.

For the GS-07 Level: In addition to the qualifications above applicants must have at least one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-05 level) and incumbents are expected to have performed standard and recurrent duties on an independent basis. Your resume should demonstrate at least 52 weeks of experience in independently carrying out routine standard assignments on a regular and recurring basis that provided you with knowledge of the properties and characteristics of regulated food commodities and substances; such as: meat poultry fish eggs or other food for human consumption and other ingestible substances such as pharmaceuticals.

For the GS-08 Level: Applicants must have at least one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-07 level). In addition to the qualifications above experience must include working with the Federal Meat Poultry and Egg Products Inspection Acts in order to inspect meat poultry and egg products; working with basic SSOP and HACCP principles and practices in order to verify plant HACCP and SSOP responsibilities; performing basic mathematics and elementary statistical concepts and methods to perform testing and sampling procedures; and experience in reaching and interpreting conclusions.

For the GS-09 Level: Applicants must have at least one year of specialized experience (equivalent to the GS-08 level). In addition to the qualifications above incumbents are expected to have experience working at a more independent level than lower graded CSIs which may include duties such as recommending refusal of exports and providing temporary coverage at locations outside of the official duty station.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g. Peace Corps AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g. professional philanthropic religious spiritual community student social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies knowledge and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience including volunteer experience.
Please view OPMs Qualifications Standards Consumer Safety Inspector Series GS-1862.

The duties of a Consumer Safety Inspector are performed in a hazardous working environment. For additional information please click here. The below requirements are not an all-inclusive list. Failure to fully meet a functional requirement is not automatically disqualifying.